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A friend recently asked me to help her make Baklava for her son’s wedding as I had made it many times in the past. It might look difficult to make but it’s pretty simple, and also freezes well… so it is the perfect pastry for a big event! Since I know another friend who makes them quite often, I called her to compare our recipes and in addition, got a few extra tips from her.

I typically prefer to use the Athens brand of filo(or phyllo) dough which has 2 sealed packets of rolls so if I don’t need a large quantity I can halve the recipe. (There are other brands which come in long rolls with only one sealed packet.) Its easier to roll up the pastry, versus making the traditionally shaped baklava. I froze the baklava in the cookie tray that I baked them in, covered with heavy duty aluminum foil. When ready to use them, simply thaw out and arrange the pieces on your serving platter.

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I started cooking much more and looking for quick and easy recipes soon after I moved to the US, 40 something years ago! One of the easiest dessert recipes I came across back then was Rasmali made with ricotta cheese. I’ve found that it is easy to pair with Indian or Western food.

It’s a simple summer dessert as it is light and also delicious with strawberries, blueberries or peaches. Depending on your preference you can vary the amount of sugar that you use. It is also a great recipe to make in advance as it is best eaten chilled.

Ingredients

16 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese

3/4 – 1 cup sugar

1-2 cups half and half

chopped almonds for garnish

Fruit (optional)

Preparation

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the ricotta cheese with the sugar. Spread in a 8″ x 8″ pyrex dish or cake pan.